Something More?
by Michi Mouse
Summary: It's over, for now.
1. Movin'

**Movin'**

"What the hell was that for, you ass?" I stared at Corrie. She had just punched me in the arm rather hard. I went to hit her back but she is a better fighter then me, so she promptly blocked my punch in her fist.

"I was bored, Jess. You know me, when I'm bored I get a bit violent." She looked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Correction: You're always violent." Being the best fighter in the gang, she never stopped punching people. But when she hit me, it was all fun. Except that time - that one hurt.

"I know, but that how I am, darlin'"

"And that's why I love you!" Sun, Corrie's boyfriend walked into the living room of their apartment (that consisted of a couch and a TV, that's it). We don't have a lot of money so most of us are lucky to have a TV.

_-Ring-_

The phone rang.

"I'll get it," I said. I walked into the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jess?" It was my brother.

"Shawn, what's up?"

"I need you to come home now, dad's pissed at you for going to Corrie's and he's got some big thing he needs to tell us." My dad doesn't like Corrie 'cause when I'm around her I get into fights. Okay so more fights then I would normally be in. I'm a very energetic person. And 'cause it aint safe here.

"Fine. I'll come now. I've got the truck here." I say in my most monotone voice I could muster.

"Good. Make it snappy, and be safe Jess."

"Yeah yeah. Bye"

"Bye."

I hopped into my red pickup, turned the radio onto my favorite Elvis song and drove home. I took all the back alleys because it's not safe to even _drive_ on the front streets at night in Dollard. There are these train tracks near my house that separate the hoods from the rich kids. And I live on the wrong side of the tracks.

12 minutes later, I pulled into the driveway of the smallest house on the street; mine.

"Pops! I'm home!" I said as I closed the front door behind me.

"Jessica, I thought I told you I didn't want you at Corrie's house after dark!" he yelled. "It aint safe around here."

"I know, but it's only been 20 minutes since sunset," I pleaded

"Well you won't be able to see her or her god-for-saken-boyfriend anymore."

"Excuse me? When did you have a choice in who I get to see or not?" I bursted out.

"What do you mean pops?" Shawn poked his head form around the corner.

"Come in here you two. I need to tell you something."

He looked a bit nervous, and that's never a good thing with pops. "Were movin'"

Shock, shock, anger.

"WHAT?" I screamed. "WHY? NO, WE CAN'T MOVE! MY WHOLE LIFE IS HERE"

"I knew you would react like this," he said lowering his head and rubbing his neck.

"LIKE HOW? PISSED? YEAH, NO SHIT-SHERLOCK!"

Shawn decided to help me out, "Jess' right pop. Movin' aint right. We grew up here. We can't leave."

"Well were movin' weather you like it or not!" he states firmly.

When pops gets firm, there's no more arguing. But I can make as much noise going upstairs, as I want. So I stamp my feet on the stairs, and slam my door shut a few times. But I decide that I should listen to the rest of the conversation downstairs, for my own sake.

"So uh, where are we movin' too?" Shawn asks.

"Tulsa."

* * *

"What else can he do to me?" I was on the phone with Corrie. I called her to rant about moving to Tulsa.

"He could beat you and kick you outa the house when you were 13, like my dad did." She said with fake cheer in her voice.

"Oh I'm sorry Cor. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I love it here. With you and Sun"

"Forget it. I was just joking. I'm totally over that now." she says, but I don't believe her.

I hear the door open and close downstairs. Pops was home from the night shift.

"He's here, I gotta go." I say hurriedly

"Okay, bye love"

"Bye"

I quickly turned off my light because even though we live in a hood, I still have a curfew and a 'bed time' -- I gotta be home by 12:30 and by 2:00 am my light has to be off. But since pops was called in to work tonight, I didn't go to bed on time. I looked at my red glowing alarm clock, 5:02 am. Okay time for sleep.

"So you're goin' first, then me and Shawn will come later. We just need you to look after the house for a while." My dad was trying to explain why I was going to Tulsa tomorrow by myself, instead of later with him and Shawn.

"But I told you, I'm not going!" I argued

"And I told you that you are!" He argues back. I hate when he does that.

"But-"

"No Jess! I'm sick and tiered of hearin' you whine and complain! You're gonna go tomorrow, take the pickup if you want but I need you there! And that's that." He put a stern face on.

He was right. I didn't have a choice.

"Fine, I'll take that pickup tomorrow mornin'." I say, not looking at him in the eyes. I stood up and walked out the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked

"Out" I answer, running off the porch and into my truck. I needed to get away from the house for a while. I'll go home later, I thought, after I get into a fight or something. I had so much steam I needed to blow off.

_Jamie's_ was my favorite 'bar' (actually it was the only one that would let me in). There was usually a good rumble going on that I could get into. Sometimes though, the guys were afraid to hit me, 'cause I'm a girl. I say the hell with it. If I get them in the fight, then by all means they should fight back. I'm not chicken, and I'm a pretty good fighter.

I look over in the corner and see Jim Stevens, Shawn's friend, and some other guy I don't know going at it. Jim didn't look like he was doing to hot. Here's my chance, I thought. So I go over and start wailing on the guy.

"Hey Jess" Jim looks surprised to see me.

"Hey Jim, need a hand?" I ask as I punch the guy right in the nose.

"Sure, you ready?"

"Yep, let's kick his ass" I yell, and we both charge at him.

"Well that was fun" I say. We step out from the smoke filled bar, into the night.

"Sure was" he looks at me. "You got a mighty fine cut there Jess."

I touch my forehead and sure enough, there was a gash on the side. I pull my finger away and look at them. Blood.

"Well what do you know" I smile. Cuts make you look tuff, and because I don't have many, I was sorta proud. "Why were you two fightin' anyway"

"He owes me $120 from a poker game."

"Oh." I'm not surprised "Need a ride home? You know it aint safe to walk all the way to your house from here" I insist.

"Okay."

As I drove him home, we just talked. About everything pretty much. Mostly about moving though.

"Man we sure are gonnna miss you Jess. You and Shawn." he looks at me with a smile. I couldn't help but notice how hot he looked tonight. After the rumble, he got all sweaty and his face was kinda bruised. But he still had his gray eyes and his dark brown hair.

"I'm gonna miss you too Jim." I say. We pulled over so he could get out of the truck.

"So this is goodbye huh?"

"It sure is."

He looked sad. Then he leaned in slowly. What the hell? And our lips touched. Oh, right! I couldn't believe it. 15 years of growing up together, me having a crush on him since I was 11, we were finally kissing. And then it was over. He pulled away, looked at me and said, "I'll never forget you, Jess. Goodbye."


	2. Tulsa

So here is chapter 2, hope you guys enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Jessica and the plot. (snif) The rest belongs to S. E. Hinton

* * *

**Tulsa**

I turned around to look at the house I had so many memories in. All the times I snuck out at night through my bedroom window to go to the movies or blow off some steam; all the times my dad would get pissed at me for getting bad grades - I was a smart kid for a hood - or getting hurt in a fight, he would tell me to get out of the house and I would come back a few hours later and everything would be fine; all the times Shawn and I would resettle each other out the door for no reason at all; all the good times, I thought. And with one more glance at my home, I hopped into my pickup, took out a smoke - I only smoke when I'm in real need- turned on my Elvis tunes, and sped out of there like there was no tomorrow.

I sang out loud to my music. It was fun and nobody could hear me. I could hardly hear myself, the music was so loud. I didn't stop for food. I wasn't hungry.

Hours later, I saw the sign: Tulsa 1/2 mile. Finally. I drove down the main road, then I remembered. Shit. I don't know where the hell anything is; I'd better ask someone. I pulled over, into a DX station. It was old and not very well kept. My knida place. I put on my jean jacket, flipped up the collar, fixed my long blonde hair and jumped out of my pickup. The moment I walked into the station I looked around to see a bunch of guys sitting around a table playing what looked like poker. One guy was wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and laughing his head off at something he had just said. Two of them were wearing blue DX shirts. They must work here, I thought. One of them was real good looking, he had blond hair with lots of grease in it (they all did actually). The other was still good looking with his swirly black hair but nothing special compared to the first one. Then there were two boys who looked younger then the rest of them. One was the spitting image of the boy with blond hair but his was brown and real tuff - they must be brothers. The other one looked like he had taken a brutal beating, more then once. He had a scar on his cheek and his eyes were full of pain. For some reason, he reminded me of a puppy. I decided that they looked like a good bunch of guys, so I wouldn't use my five-finger-discount at this station today. I went around picking up some coke and cheetos. I walked up to the counter and unloaded my arms. The real-good-looking guy got up from the table and his brother took his place.

"Hey" he said

"Hi" I wasn't in the mood to be very nice. I was hungry.

"You new 'round here?" he asked, ignoring my tone and continuing conversation.

"Yeah. I'm just movin' in" I remembered the paper in my pocket with my new address on it. "Can you tell me how to get here?" I handed him the paper.

"Sure can. I can even take you there if you want" He offered. What can it hurt? He doesn't look like he's gonna try to hurt me, and even if he did, I could probably beat his head in.

"That would be great" I said.

"I'm Soda, by the way. Sodapop Curtis" Sodapop, cool name.

"I'm Jess Winters"

"Nice to meet you Jess" got to admit, he's got charm "Where are you from?"

"Small town, north of here, Dollard."

"Hey, do you mind waitin' a few minutes, till I finish my game?"

"No problem Sodapop"

"Come on" he took my hand and led me to the table were the boys were playing poker. When he touched me, it sent a wave of goose-bumps up my arm. Why was my skin doing this? I just met this guy, for crying out loud!

"Boys, this is Jess" he addressed them. I made a small wiggle of my fingers sort of like a wave. "Jess, these are the guys. That's Steve" he pointed to the other DX guy "That's Two-Bit" the guy in the Mickey t-shirt "That's Johnny" The guy that looked like a puppy "And this is my kid brother, Ponyboy" the guy with the tuff hair. I knew they were brothers. And they both had cool names.

"Hi" I said weakly.

"Hi doll-face" Two-Bit said to me.

"Hey" Steve mumbled, he was almost non responsive. I guess he was very concentrated on the game. From what I could tell, he was loosing.

"Hi" Ponyboy said with a smile.

Johnny didn't say anything.

"Gimme my cards Pony" Sodapop stuck out his hand and cocked one eyebrow

"Fine" Pony rolled his eyes

I sat down behind Sodapop to peek at his cards. He had a good hand, a straight flush.

Two-Bit put down his cards, "I fold."

Everybody looked at Steve and Sodapop. Steve laid out his cards: four eights and a five. Soda smiled as he lay down his cards: three, four, five, six and seven. He pulled all the money in the middle of the table towards himself and tucked it into his pocket.

"Thank you very much boys" he looked around at each of them. "Come on Pony, were gonna take Jess home then were goin' home. Darry'll kill me if were late." Pony got up and grabbed his jacket. "You got a car?" Soda asked me.

"Nope, I got a truck." I pointed to my red pickup. We all climbed into the cab of the truck. Soda directed me through the streets, and he and Pony told me about Tulsa. There are these rich kids, the Socs, who jump greasers like them for fun. Man would I like to get my hands on one of those Socs and beat them to a bloody pulp.

"Here you are" Soda said a few minutes later. The house was small and old and beat-up. I liked it. It had green paneling on the outside and a black roof. The porch was pretty big and the white paint on the door was peeling off.

"How are you two gonna get home?" I asked. After they told me the stories of the Socs jumping greasers after dark, I was worried about them.

"It's not a problem" Pony assured me "We live a couple streets away from here and besides-"

"I can handle any Soc" Soda seemed confident, and then I realized why. He pulled out a switchblade from his black pocket. Some how I was still worried about Pony. He didn't have a weapon. Idea. I opened a bottle of coke and drank it all. Then I handed the empty bottle to Pony, with a smile on my face.

"Here" I said. He looked at Soda and they both gave a small chuckle. "You better bust that bottle open if anyone gives you trouble Pony, you hear me?" I knew what a jumping was like; what they could do to you. Shawn got jumped about four months ago. He now had a huge scar on his neck from where they had pulled a blade on him. If Corrie and I had shown up anytime after when we did, it would have been too late.

Pony just nodded. We said good night and they walked around the corner onto another street. I steeped into my new house, walked straight into my bedroom and crashed. It had been a very long day.

* * *

Hope you liked it (I know I did!)

Now, I hope you're going to be nice to me. Just push the button, that's all that needs to be said!:)


	3. Tulsa High

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders. I only own Jessica and the plot :(

* * *

**Tulsa High**

"Anybody home?" came a voice from the front of the house. Who could it be? I wondered. It definitely wasn't pops or Shawn, and I didn't know anybody here, except ... oh yeah. The memories of last night came back to me. The DX station, poker, Ponyboy, Johnny, Steve, Two-Bit and the gorgeous Soda.

I took a look in a mirror. Shit. I looked a mess, my hair was all over the place and I forgot to wash my face before falling asleep. I pulled the covers off my bed and sure enough, there on my pillow was the rest of my eye make up. Whatever, there was no point in trying to fix it now. So I walked into the living room - running my fingers through my hair - and standing there was Soda and Two-Bit.

"'Mornin' sunshine" Two-Bit smiled

"Good morin' Two-Bit" I smiled back

"And what about me?" Soda asked, putting on a pouting face.

"Good mornin' to you too, Soda" I said. He was so cute with his lower lip sticking out a bit. Then he smiled, and I couldn't help but do the same. He had this effect on people; they just couldn't hide their smiles when he was around.

"We gotta get goin', doll face" Two-Bit said as he looked around the tiny house.

"Where?" What was he talking about?

"It's Friday mornin'" He looked at me as if it was obvious. But apparently it wasn't; I just stared back with a blank expression. Then he reminded me "School"

"What? Why?" This just didn't make sense. Why would I be going to school? I was living on my own for a few days, so why on God's green earth would I want to ruin that with school?

"Because" Two-Bit said "You've got to get an education. And besides, school's fun, ain't it Soda?"

Soda laughed "Yeah, real fun when you're only passin' two classes and end up dropin' out"

"Shoot Soda, it don't matter how many classes you're passin'. Hell, I'm only passin' one: gym." We all laughed.

"So, again, why am I going?" They were just being stupid.

"We already told you Jess" it was Soda's turn to try to turn me. "You can go to school with Two-Bit." I just couldn't resist when he told me too. His face was so damn convincing. I had to give in.

"Fine," I rolled my eyes "I'll go to school with Two-Bit."

They both smiled. "Now what's for breakfast Jess?" Two-Bit asked.

"Got any chocolate cake?"

"Only coke and cheetos. I need to get some real food."

"I can get you some while you're at school." Soda offered. I started to pull out my cash form my pocket, but he put his hand up and stopped me. "I'll get it Jessy, don't worry."

"No Soda, it's fine, here" I handed him a twenty "take it." I waved it at him.

"It's no use, honey" Two-Bit laughed "he's stubborn as an ass when he wants to be."

"No kidding" I sighed. But I decided that I would try to slip the twenty into Soda's pocket somehow

* * *

"Here we are doll" Two-Bit and I jumped out of his car. The school consisted of many small buildings made of brown and red bricks. There were people all over the place; Socs and hoods and greasers. You could tell them apart by only a glance. The Socs wore madras shirts and cute little dresses or skirts, with a brightly colored sweater. Their hair was all combed nicely to the side, mostly semi-Beatle, or tied in a half ponytail. The greasers and hoods wore jeans, leather or jean jackets and flannel or jut an old t-shirt. Their hair was covered in grease, even most of the girls had some amount of grease, not one of them had their hair tied up (me included). Two-Bit caught me staring at the Socs, "I wouldn't look that way too long, if I were you. This ain't the place to go gettin' into a fight." He looked serious. 

"Were would I go to get into a fight then?" I asked as innocently as could, trying to hide my hunger for a bit of violence.

"Well, the Dingo, usually has something going on there, but sometimes it gets a bit too dirty for my taste. When they start with blades and all that." I could tell Two-Bit was a fair fighter, but as he walked passed me a bit, I could see the outline of a switchblade in his back left pocket. Security thing, I guess.

We walked to building C for his English class, were they were studying Shakespeare's play, Macbeth (one of my favorites). Then we headed towards the Gym for PE.

"This is my favorite class" he told me "I'm passin' with a high eighty" he looked so proud. They were playing basketball. His teacher, Coach Cameron, let me play on Two-Bit's team, and we ended up being the best two players there. I was good at basketball; I was even on my school team at my old school. I liked it because I could get all my energy out. The rest of the day went by quickly, even though I had to sit through math and history, of which I'm in A classes back in Dollard. At lunch, we sat with Pony and Johnny and a bunch of other greasers I didn't know.

After school, Two-Bit drove me, Pony and Johnny to the DX station were Soda and Steve worked. We pulled up to the station and hopped out of the car. I inhaled the smell of the gasoline. I love that smell, it reminded me of when I used to work on the cars with Shawn and the gang.

"How was school?" Soda asked Pony

"Like usual" he answered quietly.

"And how 'bout you Two-Bit? Fun as usual?" Steve looked up form an old Ford he was working on

"It's always fun Stevie. Plus I had Jessy there to suffer through math with me" he laughed as did everybody else.

"And how 'bout you Jess?" Soda asked

"Fine I guess. PE was best 'eh Two-Bit?" I looked at him

"Sure was" he smiled "Jessy here is one sweet basketball player"

"No kiddin'" Soda looked interested. "We should play sometime. All of us"

"That sounds great" I said, he smiled a wide sort-of crooked smile. But I loved it. I loved everything about him. He was so gorgeous, with his greasy blonde hair, his light brown eyes that caught the light of the sun at a certain angle, his crooked but perfect smile, his sense of humor, his laugh - especially his laugh! Yes, he was perfect. But I wasn't. Boys back home never noticed me much. Some said I was pretty, but nothing special. I just wasn't good enough for Soda; he deserved something better then a greaser girl.

Little did I know that he was thinking the same thing as I was at that point in time. That _he_ wasn't good enough for _me_.


	4. I Promise

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders. I only own Jessica and the plot :(

* * *

**I Promise**

The phone rang at 11:00 on Sunday morning.

"Hello" I mumbled into the mouthpiece.

"Hey, Jess" it was Shawn "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but I was gonna get up soon anyway" I lied. I had no intention in getting up this morning, until he called. "Where are you? You haven't called in a while and when are you coming here? We need some food and -"

"Hold your horses there Jess. I'm at home, I'm sorry I haven't called, I don't know when we're comin' and I believe that there is a grocery store in Tulsa, were they sell food."

"Why don't you know when you're coming?" something was obviously wrong for two reasons. One: he - the over protective brother - was leaving his younger sister all alone in a town he had never even set foot in. And two: I could hear it in his voice. The concern and something else I couldn't't identify.

"Listen Jess, I need you to promise me something, can you do that?"

"Depends on the promise"

He sighed.

"I have some un-finished business here, and you have to promise me you won't come to Dollard, 'kay?"

I knew what was happening. There was a fight or something coming and he was being the protective brother, trying to keep me out of trouble.

"Hell no! I wanna be there! I'm a good fighter Shawn, I won't get in the way!"

"No Jess, I need you to do this for me" he paused "and for mom. She wouldn'tve, world's" / 't want her little girl gettin' hurt"

He had played the only card that would get me to do anything. My mom was my life, before she was shot two years ago in a gang fight. If it was for mom's sake, then it was obviously something dangerous, and Shawn thought I had no place in it.

"Fine" I said through gritted teeth "I promise" the words were harder to get out then I thought they would be.

"And Jessy" he added "Happy birthday"

"It's not till tomorrow"

"I know but I might not be able to call tomorrow, so I'll say it now."

"Thanks and goodbye"

"Bye"

I hung up the phone a little more forcefully then I meant to. My sixteenth birthday was tomorrow and I was excited. I wanted to be with Shawn and Corrie for that day, but that just wasn't going to happen. And I accepted that, sort of.

I spent the rest of the day with the gang at Soda and Pony's house, were I met their older brother Darry. He was tall and muscular, his tight black shirt showing every ripple on his torso. I could tell he was somewhat of a showoff when it came to physical stuff, like sports.

We played football out in the park for a while in the afternoon. They were all insisting that I would get hurt playing with them, but I just ignored their warnings. Aside from basketball, football was my favorite sport, to watch and play. And, man did I scare them! Steve tackled me - by accident of course - and I faked an injury in my leg, only to get up and walk away a few seconds later. Steve was so mad at me for scaring him like that, but I told him it was worth it just to see his face.

"I'd better get goin'" I said as the game came to an end, my team winning by 7 points. "See you guys tomorrow" I waved and then departed, heading home for the night.

My stomach growled, I remembered my conversation with Shawn this morning about food, and the lack there of. So I turned the corner and headed towards the town (I had already eaten all the food Soda bought for me only yesterday, with some help from Two-Bit of course). I bought all that I had money for - some bread, peanut butter, jelly, milk and cookies. I walked home in no hurry, just enjoying the night air and the stars. I noticed a dark red almost crimson Volvo following me. I sped up, and so did they. The car pulled over to the side to the road and five guys got out. I looked around frantically for a weapon of some kind, a piece of pipe, or a pop bottle I could bust open to defend myself, but nothing.

"Hey greaser!" one boy called.

I stood there and flipped up the collar of my jean jacket. He didn't scare me ... much. I got into fights a lot back home, so why was this situation any different? Right. Five against one.

"I said, hey greaser" the same boy flashed a smile of dazzlingly white teeth. "You know you really should respect your superiors"

"Should we teach her a lesson, boys?" another asked.

There was a cheer of "Yeah!". I still couldn't thing of anything to say. I was scared stiff. They seemed to be able to sense it, and it fed their hunger for violence. They encircled me with maniacal smiles on all their faces. I tried to run but they caught me and pinned me down. The one that did most of the talking was now sitting on my stomach.

"Now, we don't usually beat on the greaser girls, but you, honey, are somethin' special, you are." he flashed his white teeth again. I tried to punch him, but he was fast and he blocked it, catching my fist and twisting it. I tried to hold in my screams of agony. He connected his fist to my head a few times. I had a spur-of-the-moment idea. I gathered all the saliva in my mouth and spit it in his face, hitting his nose and part of his mouth. It was my turn to smile. It just angered him.

"That's it greaser" he pulled out a blade from his back pocket. I hadn't expected that.

"How about we get started" he slugged my head a few time.

"SODA!" I screamed, but he must be home by now.

"No one's goin' to hear you" another one teased

"TWO-BIT! STEVE!"

He kept slugging my head and the rest of them decided to join in, kicking me in the stomach and my sides.

"PONY! JOHNNY! DARRY!" I knew it was no use. I was feeling dizzy and like I was going to sleep. I'm dying, I thought. And with all the strength I could muster I yelled one last time: "SODA!"

And the lights turned off, it went all dark.

* * *

"She sure is cute when she's sleepin'" said a familiar voice. 

"I know. Stop talkin' so loud, you'll wake her" said another. They all seemed so far away.

I felt my hair move.

"Natural blond" again, a new person spoke. I could swear that this last person was smiling.

"Shut it, Two-Bit" said the second.

I opened my eyes to three blurry blobs that could be people's heads, but I wasn't sure.

"She's wakin' up." It was Two-Bit who spoke.

"Steve, go get Darry" that was the second voice again.

I rubbed my eyes, and they focused. Soda and Two-Bit were sitting in front of me, on the floor.

"Where am I?"

"At my house" Soda explained. Steve came back in the room with Pony and Darry. He knelt next to me with, and with a damp cloth, Darry dabbed my wounds. He pulled the cloth away and I could see it was covered in blood.

"You took some beatin' back there kid. What in the world did you do to them?"

I smiled in spite of myself "I spat on one of them"

Two-Bit rolled on the floor laughing. Soda, Steve, Pony and Darry looked at me, surprised.

"She spat on him!" Two-Bit was having trouble breathing "I didn't think you had it in you doll, but you've got style" I smiled at the compliment, and everyone laughed.

"She needs rest" Darry said "Clear out boys"

They all got up and said goodnight to me and the Curtis'. I sat up on the couch and reached for my Converses. But pony grabbed my hand.

"Were do you think you're goin'?" he asked

"Home"

"Not tonight you're not" Soda turned his concerned face towards me. "You sleep here tonight"

"Soda's right" Darry came into the room "You need to rest now. We'll take you home tomorrow mornin'"

"But I have to get home" I insisted.

"Tomorrow" Soda pushed my shoulders down, so I was lying on the couch, my head propped up by a pillow.

"Fine" I sighed

"Pony, bed" Darry looked at him.

"'Night Jess, Soda, Darry" he walked to his and Soda's room.

"I'm goin' to bed too, you let her get some sleep tonight Soda, you hear me?"

Soda nodded, Darry said good night and headed to his room. It was just me and Soda left.

"How are you feelin'?" he asked

"Not to bad. I little sore, but it'll pass. And you?"

"Worried 'bout you. Why didn't you ask one of us to come with you? Anyone of us would have gone."

"I wasn't thinkin' straight, I suppose"

"That's for sure" he looked down and closed his eyes. There was a long silence. "How old are you Jess?"

"16, well almost" I admitted

"How close is almost?"

"Well, what time is it?"

He looked at his watch confused "11:48"

"I'll be sixteen in 12 minutes"

He smiled. "Tomorrow's your birthday? And sixteen is a big one. Hey, we should have a party!"

"No" I interrupted him "you guys don't have to do anything tomorrow, really. It's no big deal"

"Shoot, Jess, you're just bein' nice" he laughed "We'll talk in the mornin'." He reached up to the light switch to kill the lights, but he paused. "One thing Jessy"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me you won't go out at night alone anymore, you hear me?"

"I promise" I held up my right hand.

He laughed.

"G'night"

"'Night Soda"

* * *

Do you know what would make me real happy? Come on you know you want to press that little purple button and reveiw or critique my story. And I need some ideas for future chapters, so whatever you would like to see happen to Jess and the gang put it in your reveiw and I'll try to get it into my story!

Okay well, get crackin'!


	5. Happy Sixteenth

Hi guys! Here is chapter five, Jess' party! This is an exciting moment for me because I have an idea for the next chapter and I usually start to get some writers block around here, so keep reviewing with ideas for the story! Okay enough of me here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders. Only Jessica and the plot are mine:(

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**Happy Sixteenth**

I awoke the next morning to the smell of chocolate cake and fried eggs. I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. I was at the Curtis' house.

"Happy birthday!" Soda and Steve yelled in my ears and put a kiss on either side of my face.

"What the hell?" I turned around to see them laughing in hysterics. "What was that for" I asked as I rubbed their kisses of my cheeks.

"What? You don't do birthday kisses where you're from?" Steve laughed

"No,"

"Let me explain" Soda said, calming down from his hysteric sate. "Here, when a girl turns sixteen the best lookin' guy gives the birthday girl a kiss on her cheek. You seriously never did this in Dollard?"

"Never" I was still a bit confused "But both of you kissed me. I don't get it?"

They looked at each other laughing again. "Well, we were trying to decide who was better lookin' between the two of us" Steve explained "But we're just so hot we decided it would be best if you go two kisses instead of one!"

"Enough of that, you two." Darry and Pony came into the living room with eggs, toast, tomatoes, lettuce, jelly and chocolate cake.

"Happy birthday" Pony smiled

"Thanks"

Just then, Two-Bit and Johnny came through the front door. "I smell chocolate cake, and did somebody say birthday?"

"It's Jess' 16th today" Soda said, putting jelly on his eggs.

"Ah. So, who did it?" he asked

"Me and Soda" Steve answered

"You two?" he laughed real loud. "Shoot, I'm better lookin' then both of y'all put together" he ducked to avoid Steve's swing, but he wasn't watching Soda as he took a running jump and tackled him.

"Holler uncle!" Soda said, holding Two-Bit's arms behind his back and kneeling on him.

"Never" Two-Bit struggled to get free

"So what are the plans for today?" Darry asked

"Me and Soda have work" Steve looked up from torturing Two-Bit

"I was gonna get drunk, but I could go for a movie if you want Jess?" Two-Bit asked

"Sure, if you're sober" I was never comfortable around drunks.

"Me and Johnny will come, won't we Johnny" Pony looked over in his direction.

He shrugged, and managed to mutter a small "Sure"

"Oh, damn that hurts, Soda!" Two-Bit shouted

"Just say it!" Soda looked like he was having too much fun.

"Never" he said through gritted teeth.

"Come on Two-Bit"

A few minutes of torment later, Two-Bit gave in "Fine, you win"

"Ah, that's not what I want to here!" Soda still held onto his arms behind his back.

"Uncle" he moaned, clearly in pain.

After Soda, Steve and Darry left for work, Two-Bit, Johnny, Pony and I went to town. Two-Bit supplied the conversation with his funny stories, were all we had to do was listen and laugh in the right places. Although it wasn't hard to get caught up in his stories. We went into the hardware store for about an hour, annoying the clerk, just walking around eying the merchandise and using Two-Bit's gift for shoplifting. He managed to snag me a new radio for my truck. I have absolutely _no_ idea how he managed to sneak that out of the store.

We went to the movie house after our 'shopping' experience. It was some horror movie that was so fake it was painful. None of us watched it, we were to busy throwing popcorn at a few couples making out in the rows in front of us. One guy actually came up to the people sitting behind us and threatened to beat their heads in if they threw any more popcorn in his direction. We had to hold in our laughter, which was extremely hard to do given the circumstances.

When the movie was over we went Curtis' house – Two-Bit said there was something I had to see. When I stepped into the house, I didn't recognize it. Firstly, it was clean. Secondly, somebody had decorated it with balloons, crepe paper and a banner saying: Happy Birthday!

"Oh Lord, what happened?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"It's your birthday! What did you expect?" Johnny said in a hushed voice.

"Not this" I mumbled.

"Shoot, hunny" Two-Bit broke in, "We ain't one to pass up a party 'round here!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Steve and Soda came running from the hallway leading to the bedrooms. They pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, not letting me breathe. 

Thank the Lord, because right then Darry came home with a big shinny red box that had silver ribbon tied in a bow on top.

"Presents!" Steve shouted, letting me fall into Soda's arms.

"Not for you, stupid," Darry said.

I groaned, "You guys really weren't supposed to get me anything"

"Well, too bad 'cause we did" Steve said "And you'll just have to accept 'em!"

He pushed my shoulders to make me sit on the couch.

"You already got mine darlin'" Two-Bit grinned, coming to sit next to me, Soda on my other side.

"What did you get her?" he asked.

"A brand-spankin'-new radio for her truck"

Soda whistled real low.

"Here" Johnny handed me the big red box Darry had carried in.

I started to complain as soon as he put the box in my lap, "You really-" I stopped. Inside the box was a brand new jean jacket. You know when you buy those jeans in the store that are so dark the look almost black? Well that was the color of this one. It had silver buttons down the front and on the cuffs. "-Shouldn't have" I finished in a whisper.

They all smiled.

"Well, aren't you gonna put it on?" Darry asked.

I shrugged my old acid washed jacket off, in favor of this newer, darker one.

"It's from Darry, Johnny and me." Pony explained.

"We figured that your old one was getting, well, old and a little too blood-stained" Johnny looked at my old jacket on the floor. He was right. The blood from multiple fights – but mostly for the most recent – was covering it.

"T-Thanks so much" I stammered, "I love it"

"Told you she'd look better in the dark one" Soda murmured to Darry.

"Me next!" Steve pushed through the wall of people to hand me a folded piece of paper.

"Uh, thanks?" I looked at him with a confused expression.

"Open it" he rolled his eyes.

Inside it read:

_For Jess_

_I.O.U._

_Free work on your old red pickup_

_Whatever the hell you need_

_From Steve_

"Thank you, Steve," I said. This would come in handy when my truck started having trouble running. "But honestly, you guys shouldn't have. It was totally unnecessary."

"Hey, Sodapop, what did you g-" Two-Bit started to ask, but Soda stomped on his foot before he could finish. "Jeez, Pepsi Cola, what-"

Soda looked murderous.

"CAKE!" Steve interrupted, saving Two-Bit from Soda's wrath, "I got a cake!"

We all laughed. He ran inside and came back out with a huge chocolate cake, on it were the words:

_Happy Birthday Jess! #16 _in red icing.

"Ah-hem" Two-Bit cleared his throat, and he started a chorus of "Happy Birthday To You"

When they were done the cake was in front of me, all seventeen candles ablaze. I made a wish and managed to blow out all the candles with one breath. Steve took out a big knife and served up the cake.

Later that night, when I about ready to leave, Soda took me aside. He looked a nit nervous.

"Happy birthday Jessie" he smiled his beautifully crooked smile.

"Um, thanks, Soda"

"I'm sorry I couldn't get you a present," he said softly.

"It's not a problem, Soda, really" I insisted, "You don't ha-" I was cut off by his soft lips on mine. I knew I shouldn't be getting into this kind of relationship with Soda, I was no good for him. But I'm only human; temptation got the best of me and I kissed him back. 'Bad, bad Jessica!' the little voice in the back of my mind told me. I chose to ignore it, giving in to my human instinct.

He pulled away, his warm brown eyes looking into my hard blue ones.

"Tell you what," he cooed, "I'll take you out sometime, just the two of us."

"Like a date?" I asked, though there was no doubt what he meant.

He laughed, "Yeah, like a date"

And he was kissing me again - I had managed to completely block out the little voice in my head - so I kissed him back.

"Happy birthday" he whispered in between kisses, sending shivers down my spine. This was by far my best present I had ever received.

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One last thing before you reveiw (because I know that you're going to). There will be no update for two or three days because I have to go to a stupid science fair at a stupid school for 11 and a half stupid hours for two stupid days. Sorry about all the 'stupids' I'm just real pissed right now because I don't want to go but I have to. Just thought I'd let you know! 


	6. Unexpected Visitor

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders. I only own Jessica and the plot :(**  
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**Unexpected Visitor**

I heard the front door squeak open and slam shut, and then my room became real bright.

"Uhh!" I moaned. The light was shining through my eyelids and it hurt.

"Get up sleeping beauty!"

There's only one person who calls me that, "Shawn?" I pulled the pillow off my head to look up the intruder.

"Sure is honey" he was smiling his ear-to-ear grin.

"Glory, it's been a while! I missed you!" I jumped out of bed and pulled him into a huge bear hug.

"I missed you to, Jess."

"Why are you here? What happened? I thought you had some stuff to take care of and you weren't commin' for a while!"

"I still do. The Norths ain't playin' fair and I need to be there. You know, keep them in check. Besides, I'm here to check up on you. I love you honey, but I can't leave you alone for too long. You're … unpredictable."

We both smiled, we knew he meant to say untrustworthy or something to that effect. I'm known to get into trouble on my own.

"So what are you doin' today? I don't wanna get in your way or nothin'."

"You should come meet the guys!"

"The_ guys_?" He was being over-protective-brother again.

"Just friends." Except one but he didn't need to know that – yet. "I'm gonna shower, there's food in the kitchen if you're hungry. Just sit, relax, sleep, whatever." I pointed to the couch in the living room.

"Good, I'm starved!"

Ten minutes later I walked out of the steamy bathroom wearing my favorite pair of washed out jeans, a bright purple t-shirt and my orange converses. My blonde hair was wet and wavy, falling off my shoulders.

"Ready?" I called to Shawn, grabbing my new jacket and popping the collar.

"Yep"

We walked down the street in silence until Shawn said, "So, tell me 'bout these guys."

I tried to decide to how to describe the gang. "Well, there're seven of them." I started "There's the Curtis boys, Darry is the oldest, then Sodapop – he's seventeen - and then Ponyboy – he's fourteen."

He nodded, encouraging me to continue.

"And there's Soda's best buddy, Steve – they work at a DX together. And Johnny, Pony's best budd, he's real quiet. I have a feelin' he's been beat a few too many times. And then there's Two-Bit. What can I say 'bout Two-Bit? He's … hilarious, he keeps us laughin'."

He was counting them on his fingers. "That's only six."

"Yeah, then there's Dally, but he's in the cooler right now."

Shawn frowned.

"Oh come on," I pleaded "It's not like you're friends ain't never been in the slammer to!"

"True enough," he laughed.

I was so wrapped up in the conversation, I didn't realize that we had been standing on the Curtis' front steps for a few minutes.

"Here we are," I said opening the screen door, letting myself in. "Hey, Soda!" I called, looking around for him.

He appeared through the bathroom door wearing only a towel. He froze when he saw me standing there with my brother. He looked down, as if to make sure the towel was still in place, "Oh … Sorry Jess, didn't realize-" He backed into the bathroom and shut the door.

I broke into laughter.

Shawn didn't look so amused, "Is that how he always dresses?" he asked, eyeing the door Soda had just disappeared through.

"No, he's just bein' especially stupid this mornin'" Darry walked in from the kitchen, "Who's this Jess?"

"Hey, Darry. This is my big brother, Shawn. Shawn this is Darry." I introduced them to each other. They shook hands.

"You ain't got a shot, Steve" came Two-Bit's voice from the porch.

"I know, I'm just sayin'," Steve defended himself.

"You're both idiots," Johnny said next "She's So-" he stopped as soon as he saw me standing in front of him and just smiled.

"Who's the big guy?" Two-Bit came to stand next to me. The bathroom door opened and the newly clothed Soda came to stand with us.

"Guys this is Shawn. Shawn, these are the guys; Johnny, Steve, Two-Bit and Soda" I pointed to each one and they waved in turn. "Where's Pony?" I asked.

At that moment, the little bleached blonde boy walked through the room at the end of the hall. "Who's th-"

"Pony, Shawn – Shawn, Pony" I explained.

Pony smiled in his direction.

"You stayin' a while, Shawn?" Steve asked.

"No, just for today. I came to check up on my kid sis here, but she seems to be doin' okay." He smiled at me.

"She's one hell of a girl" Soda said putting his arm around my shoulders.

"One hell of a voice, too" Steve shook his head "You should have heard her two nights ago when she was getting' jumped! We could hear every cuss commin' out of her mouth, five blocks away!"

Leave it to Steve to bring up that subject with my brother. I tried to get him to shut up, but he wasn't paying attention.

"What happened to her?" Shawn asked, his voice rising.

"She got jumped by a couple of Socs,"

I slammed the palm of my hand to my forehead. Four things I'm never allowed to do while I'm still living with Shawn: get drunk, get high, get pregnant, and get jumped. Steve just told him inexcusable – that's what Shawn calls his 'laws' – number 4, a jumping.

"Jessica Marie Winters, what the _hell_ were you thinkin'? Where was your blade? Do you have any idea how badly this could have ended for you? Is there somethin' wrong with your head, Jess? 'Cause I think there seriously is! And what wou-"

"I wasn't thinkin', Shawn!" I yelled back. Shawn doesn't frighten me like my father does. "My blade fell out of my pocket, into my truck! I know how this could have ended! I might have ended up like mom, but I didn't! The guys saved my ass and now I'm fine, so can you just let it go, please?"

"But Jess what if-"

"Don't think about the 'what ifs'. I'm fine, a little bruised maybe, but nothing more! Please just forget it ever happened!" I begged him.

"I can't just forget this!" he said as he stormed out of the house.

I could feel the tears coming, creeping up behind my eyes, getting ready to gush. And they were off, flowing down my cheeks, leaving black tear tracks from my mascara. When I get real mad I start crying, it's just something I do. Soda put his arms around me, pulling me into his tight embrace. I rested my head on his chest listening to his heart's steady beat. The rest of the guys were quiet. I guess they're not used to crying girls. It was probably and awkward moment for them.

Then my knees buckled, and Soda had me in his arms. He carried me bridal style, to his room and shut the door. He laid us both down on the bed, putting his arms across my stomach, hugging me tighter. I don't know how long we lay there for, but it was probably a long time. After a while I managed to turn around in his arms, so that we were facing each other.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," I said as I wiped my eyes on my fingers. "I'm such a baby sometimes, and it comes out of me like Niagara Falls when I don't mean it to, and-"

I was cut off. He had his finger pressed against my lips to shut me up.

"Now" he said "I don't give a damn why you're cryin'. Your brother shouldn't have given you hell like that, but he was just worried about you. Darry'd have done the same with Ponyboy if he had gotten jumped again. But if you ever need a shoulder, you know I'm here for you; we all are." He brushed his fingers across my face. "And don't you forget it, you hear?"

"I won't" I smiled.

He bent his head in close to mine so our lips were touching. I ran my fingers up and down his back as he put his hand at the base of my neck, holding onto my hair.

He pulled away raising his eyebrows. He looked at me with a small smirk on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"Strawberries?" he laughed.

"Oh I forgot 'bout my lip balm. Do you have a problem with it?"

"No, no. Actually it's real sweet. Can I have another taste?"

"Mmm, of course"

He crushed his lips into mine. What a wonderful way to end a not so wonderful morning.

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I was dissapointed with the reviews - or lack there of. PLEASE! I want to know how I did. R&R! Come on people, all reviews are accepted and looked upon with gratitude.

Oh and BTW, I got a silver medal at the stupid science fair and 100!


	7. Diner and a Movie

HAPPY EASTER! Oh I'm all excited for the chocolate and candy. Mmm chocolate:) Anywho, here it is!

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**Dinner and a Movie**

Later that night, Soda walked me back to my house.

"Toughen up there, sweetheart," he told me.

"I know," I said "but it's so hard. Shawn doesn't usually get so angry like he did there."

"It's okay," he smiled.

I looked into his warm brown eyes, and my insides melted like plastic in a fire – without the nasty smell. "From now on, no more tears" I was speaking more to myself then him.

"That's my girl," he kissed my nose once then my lips. "You ready for this?" We were standing on my front porch, anticipating my brother's reaction.

I took a deep breath. "I'm ready" I lied. I would much rather have run and hid in a hole somewhere. But I would have to face the beast sometime and now was as good a time as ever.

"Go get 'em, girl" Soda gave me a small push towards the front door, and he winked once.

I walked through the door to Shawn sitting in the big armchair waiting for me, his arms crossed across his stomach. Next to his feet were a couple of empty beer bottles. Joy, he's drunk or close to it. Then again, it takes more then a few beers to get Shawn drunk.

"Who was with you?" he slurred.

"That was Soda. He was walkin' me home 'cause it's dark outside, ya know?"

"Don't get smart with me Jess. You're in a shit load of trouble for gettin' jumped."

I stood there waiting for my punishment, bracing myself for the next explosion.

"I don't want it to be this way between us, hun" he sighed.

Well that was unexpected. It must have shown on my face because the next thing I knew, he had wrapped his arms around me pulling me into a bear hug.

"I'm sorry Jess. I shouldn't have acted like that, but I worry 'bout you. You're skinny as a stick!"

"But I can fight real good, Shawn! The Socs just don't play fair. Five on one, the odds ain't in my favor. Don't worry 'bout me, I can take care of myself – and the boys will help. They're all super nice, you know."

He smiled. "That guy, what's his name … Sodapop?"

"What about Soda?" I knew were this was going.

"Are you two, ya know … together or somethin'?"

I could feel the blush in my cheeks creeping up. "Um, y-yeah we are," I stuttered. It wasn't easy talking to Shawn about this kind of stuff; it was always an uncomfortable situation – for me anyways.

"I like him. He seems like a nice kid."

I smiled, relieved that Shawn wasn't going to beat Soda's beautiful head in.

"Really?" I squeaked. "I mean, thanks for your approval. But you know you have no control over who I date."

"Well, you can't date a dead man, so I have a bit more control then you think."

I smiled; I knew he was just joking. "So how long are you stayin' for?"

"I'm leavin' in the mornin'"

"Why such a short visit?"

"The gang back home still needs me. Jim can't take over forever, ya know. I'm gonna send some of the boys up now and then, to keep an eye on you."

Jim! I had completely forgotten about him! Glory, this was going to be awkward.

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**-Soda-**

I walked up the stairs to Jess' house, pausing with my hand on the doorhandle. Why was I so nervous? I had been out with loads of girls – well not loads of girls – before her, so why the anxiousness now? _Deep breath Soda,_ I told myself. Nothing to worry about. I walked through the screen door to an empty room. I walked around the kitchen and her bedroom, but still no Jess.

"Jessy! Where are you?" I yelled.

"In here!" her voice came from the bathroom, "Hold up a minute, will ya?"

_Girls_, I thought. They always take so long to get ready. And what the hell was she doing in there, she was already as beautiful as she could get. Man, was I wrong. When she stepped out for the bathroom, I was speechless. Why? She was wearing a skirt! I finally thought of something to say.

"Hey gorgeous!"

"Hi Soda" she smiled back.

"Nice skirt. I'd never have guessed that you owned one."

"Shut your pie hole," she said, hitting me lightly on my chest.

"Ready to go?"

She grabbed her jacket and slid it on. "Now I am."

We walked to Jay's Movie House. It was some plot less comedy with jokes that weren't half as funny as Two-Bit's. About half way through the movie some guy came up behind Jess and put his feet on the back of her chair.

"Do you mind?" She asked him "Get your feet off my chair!"

"Hey, hey doll." -I knew that voice- "Keep your shirt on … or don't, it's your choice."

That got me real pissed. "She said take your- Oh, hey Dally!"

"Soda? Christ, I didn't know it was you!" He tilted his head towards Jess, "Who's the broad?"

I forgot he had been in the cooler since Jess came here. "She ain't no broad Dally, this is Jess – Jess, Dally" I introduced them.

"So you're Dally" she looked him up and down.

"Sure am." He lit up a smoke and turned to me, "I've been lookin' for Shepard, you seen him?"

"No, sorry Dally." I wasn't really sorry; I didn't want to see Tim Shepard right now.

"'Kay, well you kids have fun. I'm gonna find the, uh … the action 'round here."

"See ya Dal," I called to him as he snuck out under the back fence.

I put my arm around Jess' shoulders and she leaned her head against me. I didn't watch the rest of the movie. I was too busy watching her face, her expressions changing with the movie, her grimacing face when the jokes in the movie were so awfully bad. How the hell did I ever end up with such a great girl like her? I must be the luckiest guy on earth. She was so perfect; smart, beautiful, funny, and she wasn't afraid to get bloody. She got into the fights just like a guy, she ain't no prissy. I played with her soft blond hair, curling it around my finger and letting it fall onto her shoulders. She should get someone better then a greaser. She could go far in life, get a good job, a good husband, a nice house and fancy cars. I could never give her any of that, right?

"Soda?" She was standing up now, "The movie's over, come on, get up"

I must have been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't realize we were the only ones left.

"Sorry. Must have dozed off."

We walked over to The Dingo for dinner. I introduced her to all the hoods I knew, including Tim and Curly Shepard

"Hey Tim, Dally was lookin' for you" I told him.

"Yeah he found me," he pointed to his eye, all black and blue.

"His fist found your eye, huh?"

"Dallas sure can pack a punch, even when he's drunk."

"That's Dally alright," I laughed.

He revved the engine of his car, "Se ya 'round Curtis"

"Yeah, see ya" and he sped out of there like the devil was on his ass.

"That was Tim Shepard, huh?" Jess asked from my side.

"Yeah. Don't you go gettin' mixed up with Shepard's outfit. He leads his gang with discipline, and rules and stuff. He's one tuff hood."

"He looks it."

We went 'round to the back of the restaurant to sit in a booth. We ordered drinks and shot the straw papers at the waitress.

"So Jessie, what was it like in Dollard?" I asked. She never did talk about her old home.

"It's kinda like here, but smaller. There are these old abandoned train tracks that literally divide the town into our hoods and the rich kids."

"How many hoods are there?"

"Two main hoods – East and North - and the rich kids." she explained, "The North Siders are dirty fighters, they use pipes, pop bottles, and some of them even bring heaters to rumbles. The North Side has three outfits, Jackson, Smith and Cripp. East Siders are more respected and have only two outfits, Trigg and Blood."

"Which hood are you in?"

"I'm an East Side Blood." She smiled proudly.

The waitress brought our food, two burgers and fries. Jess started eating, it looked like she was going to finish the whole burger – that's not something the girls around here do.

"What?" she asked, oblivious to the fact that she was eating a huge burger.

"You gonna finish that?"

"Yeah, don't the girls 'round eat?"

"No, not usually. They're all conscious about their weight, and stupid shit like that." I smiled.

"Oh, well I'm not like the girls here, besides I'm hungry."

"You're not like anyone I've ever met before. You're somethin' special, Jessy."

"Thanks" she smiled her sweet, innocent –although she isn't all that innocent- smile. That's what I love about her; her smile, the way her face lights up when she wears it. She's so beautiful.

I walked Jess home after we just hung out at the Dingo for a while.

"You okay here all alone?" I asked.

"I'll be fine, but if you want to come in, I won't object."

We walked into her room and lay down on her bed. I put my arms around he waist, holding her tight, while she laid her head on my chest so that I could rest my chin on the top of her head. We lay there for a long time, talking now and then but mostly just enjoying each other's company. After a while, her breathing became light and steady. The moonlight from the window shone down on her, and she looked like some angel come to earth. I'm so lucky, I thought.

I kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, "Goodnight Jessy. I love you."

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R&R please?

Oh and I don't know about you, but I was pretty excited. I got my first flame! Ah it was fun. I love constructive criticism, so if you have anything to add to their review, please fell free to bash my story. It's all good to me. I know this is a Mary-Sue fic, but personally I like those ones and obviously other people do too because people are still reading this. So flamers can flame to their little heart's desire because it personally doesn't bother me.

Happy Easter everyone!:)


	8. But I'm in Love With You

This will be the last update for a while but hopefully not too long. My march break is over (sniff). I had two weeks off and now it's time for scholl again. Lucky me eh? Actually I am lucky! For the rest of the week in English class we're watching The Outsiders! SO EXCITED!!XD Even though I've already see it like seven times in the past two weeks on youtube. Obsesive much? Yeah maybe a little bit. Okay I know you guys are excited to read now so here!

Disclaimer: As you all know, I do not own The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton does.

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**But I'm in Love With You**

"And so we find x is fourteen. Miss Winters?" Mr. Troop's drowsy voice calling my name stopped my laughing. I sat up straighter in my chair at the back of the class to show my attention to him. I was in math class where Two-Bit had been telling me about these hoods – or wannabe hoods – he'd met downtown last night. The way he described them was quite comical. Their hair and cloths were enough for Two-Bit to laugh in their faces, so of course his description would get me laughing.

"Miss Winters, do you find algebra amusing? Funny even?" He crossed his arms across his chest as he spoke, tilting his head to the left and raising his eyebrows so that they disappeared under his hair.

"Yes sir. Sometimes." I replied. I was in a cocky, arrogant mood. Talking back to the teachers seemed entertaining at the moment. Two-Bit held in his laughter with difficulty, but Mr. Troop was too distracted with my clever retort to notice him.

"Are you trying to be funny Jessica? Maybe a trip to the principal's office would put a stop to this clowning. Surly we get enough of that from Mr. Mathews here," he motioned to Two-Bit with one hand.

"No problem sir." I picked up my books and walked out of the classroom, taking a small bow at the front of the room. I told you I was in a smug, egotistical, bigheaded mood. I half-danced my way down the hallways to our principal, Mr. Wood's office. I sat myself down on the bench outside reception where all the kids in trouble sat. I put my feet up on the armrest at the other end and rested my head in my hands. _I wonder what he's going to do to me today_, I thought to myself. I had been to Mr. Wood's office quite a few times this week for different reasons each time. The offences ranged from not doing my homework to starting fights or talking back to teachers or cutting class. He kept saying that he would give me one more chance but it seemed that after that 'one more chance' was used up, there was another one and another one.

"Jessica" the receptionist, Marie, called, "He'll see you now."

I picked up my books and my feet had to drag me into his small, dank office. It smelled like cooked celery in there and if you think cooked celery smells good, then you're just strange and messed up in your sinuses.

"Good morning Jessica" he said with delight in his voice, "It's only first period and you're already in my office."

"You know what they say, the early bird catches the worm" I replied, smirking.

He sighed. "Miss Winters, I have given you countless opportunities to improve your behavior-"

"Sixteen" I cut him off "It's been sixteen times. I counted."

"Yes, sixteen times, but you seem determined to push the limits yet again. What do you want me to do now? More detentions? Suspension? Expulsion?"

I just sat on the other side of the desk and shrugged. I hadn't really thought about the consequences and frankly I didn't care. School was a joke to me.

"Jessica, you're a smart girl and I don't want to see that go to waste. Go to your classes, do your homework and I'm certain that your grades will go back up in no time." He pulled out a pad of pink slips from the drawer in his desk. Once he had filled out one of them he handed it to me. "Next Tuesday after school. Now get back to class."

I turned round and started walking to the door while counting down in my head to his next line. _Three, two, one …_

"Thins is your last chance Miss Winters, next time there will be more serious consequences."

I was able to mouth along with his words flawlessly. After sixteen times, you start to remember how he says things.

"Of course Mr. Wood"

I didn't go back to class. As much fun as algebra sounded I was sure there was something more appealing for me to be doing. I would start my good behavior for Mr. Wood next period. I wandered aimlessly around the deserted hallways, amazed at the lack of people cutting class that day. I finally decided to go outside for a smoke. I know I don't smoke much but I had a real bad craving. It was raining slightly – almost as if the angels in heaven were spitting down on the earth (N/A I always wanted to put that in a story somewhere!) – so I stayed in the alcove running along the perimeter of the building. I managed to get through two whole cigarettes before the bell rang, signaling the end of first period. The path I had been standing on was instantly flooded with students trying to make their next class without being rained on. I decided to go to English where we were studying Shakespeare's A Mid-Summer Night's Dream. That one always confused me, no matter how many times I would read it.

* * *

When I arrived home that afternoon, there was a familiar black car sitting in my driveway. The sight of it made my stomach do a summersault off a diving board and land on it's back in the water. Jim had come to visit. _Get a hold of yourself Jessy, no worries. He just kissed you right before you moved here and now you have a boyfriend. Yeah right, no sweat_. I walked up the steps and into my house to find him sitting in the same chair Shawn had been in only a week of so before, reading the newspaper. As soon as the front door squeaked shut behind me, Jim was on his feet at my side.

"Jess how's it goin'?" he said although he didn't seem all that interested in my answer. "I've been here since ten o'clock this mornin', where were you?"

"It's Friday Jim," I used the same tone on him that Two-Bit had used on me all those weeks ago, "I was at school." I dropped my book bag on the couch and headed over to the kitchen.

"School? With like teachers and books and stuff?" he said in amazement.

I nodded.

"I wouldn't have believed that Shawn Winters' kid sister was goin' to school out of her own free will."

"It's not exactly out of my free will. The guys would get mad if I wasn't educatin' myself" I joked, making sarcastic bunny ears in the air with my fingers for the last two words. Shawn's face hardened. He clearly didn't hear the humor in my voice or notice my sarcastic bunny ears.

"Is somebody forcin' you to do somethin' you don't want to, because you know the gang can help with that kind of problem."

I instantly regretted what I had said about the guys. "No the guys are great and they ain't forcin' me into anythin' but I just don't- never mind I do want to go to school and I like it, it's fun." I lied. Jim was the kind of person to overreact to stuff like that concerning me. Shawn had appointed him 'babysitter' when he was unavailable and it had been like that for a long time. Since I was eleven actually, when I started to have a crush on him. Strange how that worked out. But that was then and this is now. I have a boyfriend and I don't want Soda to mess up my friendship with Jim and vice versa – Jim getting in between Soda and me. This was going to be complicated and confusing and going to give me a headache.

"If you're sure"

"Positive"

I turned around and reached into the cupboard for a bag of chips. I could see him moving behind me but I wasn't paying close enough attention to what exactly he was doing. Suddenly his arms were around my waist holding me against his washboard stomach. It was awkward for a few seconds until I relaxed. I turned around to face him and to tell him to let me go.

"Jim get o-" But he was too fast for me. He was kissing me and as much as I didn't want to let myself believe it, I was kissing him back just as hard. My brain and my body connected at last. I tried to push his away from me but he couldn't tell that I wanted him to stop. He thought I was getting more into it. I had to stop before my brain and mouth became incoherent again. With all the strength I could manage, I slapped his right across his handsome face. He pulled away, rubbing his cheek and looking confused.

"What the hell?" he said.

"You can't- we can't- no anymore-" I struggled to get the words out.

"Why not?"

"Because," I wish I could have just ended my sentence there but more was needed to convince him. I bit my lip, "I have a boyfriend."

His gray eyes were filled with many emotions: love for me, hate also for me, jealousy of Soda, confusion and anger at me and Soda. Lots and lots of anger.

"Oh" He looked down at the dirty floor, trying to avoid my eyes.

"Yeah, look I'm sorry Jim-"

"Who is he?" he cut me off.

"His name is Sodapop"

He made a snorting noise as if Sodapop was a stupid name and Jim was a much better one.

"Are you sure?" he asked after what felt was hours.

"Um, I'm sure that his name is Sodapop Curtis."

"No, not his name. I meant are you sure about him, that he's any better than, oh I don't know, me?"

_Boys_, I thought. Always making things so complicated and asking questions that there was no good answer to. How could I answer him? If I said 'no' then he would try to convince me to leave Soda for him. 'Yes' would be incredibly cold and unwarranted and, dare I admit it, maybe untrue? No, not untrue. Jim was a great guy but Soda was a different kind of great. So how would I tell him?

"Well?" he said impatiently.

"I-" I couldn't say it. I just looked at him hoping that my answer would come out of my eyes and not my mouth. Our eyes locked together but this time he didn't try anything.

"Are you in love with him?" he said after a long time.

"I am," I whispered.

"But do you love me?"

"Yes. I love you but I'm not _in_ love with you, there's a difference."

He sighed. His face was stony and unreadable. "But _I'm_ in love with you."

* * *

Oh yeah a little cliff hanger (not exactly but sorta kinda). I'm so evil. (evli laugh!)

R&R please!


	9. I'll Try My Best

It's been too long. I'm sooo sorry I didn't update sooner! I have a whole list of excuses but I'm sure you don't want to hear them so I'll only give you two. First: the undeyably horrible and scarry and anoying writer's block. And secondly: I'm moving. So of course I have to clean the house from top to bottom and man that can take a very long time (even though my house is incredibly small...)

Okay I'll stop it. Here is chapter nine!

Disclaimer: I do not own the outsiders. They belong to S. E. Hinton ):

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**I'll Try My Best**

I starred back at him – my mouth hanging open a bit - stunned that those words could come out of his mouth. Jim had commitment issues, due mostly to the neglect from his father. For him to tell anybody that he was in love with her was like a serious alcoholic admitting that they had a problem with booze.

"I-" he started to say but I cut him off.

"Don't. Don't say it again," I whispered.

He dropped the tough-guy act and became more human, "I need to tell you how I feel, I need you to know."

On top of all the drama that was going on with him, I still managed to find a sarcastic remark to make to myself: _well that was manly_. He took my silence as an invitation to continue.

"Before, you were just Shawn's kid sister, the gang's little hoodlum. But that night at Jay's, it was like I was seeing you differently. Like you weren't just a kid anymore. You had become this amazing person and I had this urge to – hold you and never let you go. So I kissed you and I knew that there was something about you that I had never felt for any other girl before. I didn't know what it was but I hated it. While you were gone all I could think about was you. I was real worried that you weren't able to live here all alone – with you bein' so unpredictable and everythin'. Shawn told me to cool it, he was comin' to check up on you. When he got back he told me that you got jumped. I just about hit the roof. I almost jumped into my car to come see you myself but the gang wouldn't let me. They told me to wait until I calmed myself. So a week passed and I kept thinkin' about you. After knowin' what happened to you and how I felt about it, I finally decided what my feelings for you are. And now I know, I love you Jessica Marie Winters and I don't know about that other guy – Sodapop – but I never want to let you go."

I didn't know what to say, my mind had run blank. If my expression was bewildered before, now it was blown away. How the hell did he do that? Jim was the person who fought all the time because he had so much anger in his system that he had to get it out before he exploded. Now his anger had been replaced with love and determination for me of all people. For some strange reason, my eyes started to tear up. I quickly held them back and willed myself to turn my face from pink back to its pale complexion.

"Jesus Christ, was that ever stupid?" he mumbled to himself. He turned around and slowly started pacing back and forth.

"Not stupid. That was-" I racked my brain for the best choice of words, I settled on "beautiful." I didn't seem to need to keep my guard up around Jim anymore. He snorted. "Really, Jim. I've never had anyone say anythin' like that about me." My eyes were shining with tears, threatening to overflow and spill out any second. _I can't. Not again_, I told myself.

"But you don't love me," he sighed.

"I love Soda."

"Right. I'll be goin' then, seeing as you don't need me 'round here." He half-ran to his car, almost ripping the old door clean off it's hinges in his haste.

"Jim, wait!" I called after him, but it was no use, he was in his car, speeding down the road. Out of sight but not out of mind.

I walked very slowly back into my house. What had I done? That incredible guy was in fricking love with me and I just let him walk out of this house and out of my life. I curled up in a ball on the floor next to the couch. I didn't cry. Not this time. Not after the last time. Not ever again.

Soda stepped into my house around half passed eight that night. The lights were all turned off and the sun was nearly set outside, thus making visibility inside fairly difficult.

"Jess? Are you here?" he called.

I didn't move or make any noises. I was still in a ball on the floor of my living room.

"Jessica?" He was walking around trying to find me when he tripped over my motionless body on the floor.

"Holy shit." he cussed, "What the hell is this" he poked at my back. "Oh God, Jess? Is that you?"

I made a small squeak in response. He picked me up in his arms and sat on the couch. I curled up against him for comfort. Once his warm body and steady heartbeat calmed me, I looked in his eyes, trying to see if they had the same love in them as Jim's did. But at that moment they were filled with sorrow.

"I kept my promise," I told him.

"What are you talking about?"

"When Shawn came to visit, I made you a promise that I wouldn't cry anymore."

He smiled, brushing his fingers against my cheek, "You're like a soldier, always fighting to stay strong. But please tell me what the hell happened to make you like this?"

I didn't want to tell him. He didn't know anything about Jim kissing me and – for a reason out of my comprehension, but still in my mind – I wanted it to stay that way. Unfortunately for me, Soda has a way with people, to get them to tell him whatever he wants to know.

"Jim" I said softly, "he came to check on me. Shawn sent him."

"Who's Jim?"

"He's … a friend."

"And what did your friend do to you to make you … like that?" His voice was heavy with sarcasm on the word friend.

I looked down at the couch we were sitting on, hoping to avoid this conversation. Soda lifted my face up to meet his.

"What did he do to you?" he whispered.

"He kissed me."

Soda's body went rigid, his face filled with jealousy. "Where is he now?" his voice was lethal.

"I don't know. He got out of here real fast."

"Which way did he turn down the street?"

"Left. Then he sped out of here like the devil was on his ass. You won't be able to catch him. Jim can hide if he doesn't want to be found."

"I'll find him." Soda got up off the couch, leaving me.

"Now hold on a second," I jumped in between him and the door, "What exactly are you goin' to do to him?"

"I'll beat his fucking head so far in, he'll never see the sun shine again." I'd never seen Soda act like that. So angry and violent. I liked it – except his anger was directed towards Jim. I didn't like that.

"Hold up there Sodapop. I don't want you to get hurt-"

"You think he can beat me?"

I was silent. I had never seen Soda in a fight and I had seen Jim in plenty. Jim was six four and muscular. Nobody back home messed with him unless they wanted to die or get put in the hospital. Soda, on the other hand didn't look like much of a fighter. I mean sure he was strong and tough looking, but how well did he fight? He answered my question.

"I've never lost. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself," his voice was soft like velvet, soothing. He kissed my forehead gently. "I love you, Jessy."

I closed my eyes trying to figure out how I was feeling. I guess I was worried for Soda and for Jim. At that moment I had no idea who was the better fighter so it could go either way. And confused – still - about what Jim had said to me. I knew one thing, though: I was in love with Sodapop. I was sure of it.

"Stay here. Don't leave the house. I'll be back after I-" he paused "find him. Yeah, after I find him."

I knew he was going to say kill him or something to that effect, but I didn't comment on it. I could tell that there was no changing his mind. He walked out the door over to his truck.

I had to make sure he wasn't going to hurt Jim so I called after him, "Soda! Wait!" I ran up to the cab of the truck. "Just don't kill him. Please? I don't want to start something bad."

He just looked ahead of himself, out the front window and said, "I'll try my best."

* * *

I know that was a bit on the short side, but I would still like reviews. Please?

And thank you to Bianca and Taylor for the encouragement. Oh and The Beatles for their amaxing music that helped me getting through writiing this chapter. Okay get reviewing!!


	10. This Is The Story Of A Girl

Oh my God, I'm sorry it's been soooo long! Damn homework, exams comming, writer's block, trip to Washington for band (kay, so I'm a band geek:), performing arts festival, piano concert, drama production, boy trouble and being sick. The list continues but I don't think you want to know all the shit going on in my life. So without further adoo, chapter ten.

Discalimer: You know the drill, I don't own them:

* * *

**This Is The Story Of A Girl**

I was shaking all over. He had better not kill Jim. If Sodapop did, he would be a dead man. Soda could beat him black and blue for I cared, but not kill him. Never kill him. Death had been a touchy subject with me since mom was murdered. And besides, I didn't want to start some war between my old friends and my new ones. If something did start, I decided right then and there, I would do all in my power to stop it. However, I knew I couldn't do much. I didn't matter if the boys back in Dollard enjoyed having me around, Shawn's word was law, and that meant if he wanted a fight, there would be one. And here, the guys liked me, sure, but I was still only a girl and worse than that, I was dating one of the gang. If I had to choose between the two, I don't think I could. Good Lord, how things could get so complicated in such a short period of time, was beyond me.

I know what I need, I thought. Weed, booze, and music. Blasting through the house at a volume so loud that the neighbors would get pissed and complain. I found one of my favorite vinyl records in my bedroom closet. I put it on the record player and cranked up the volume knob to maximum. Elvis Priestley's voice exploded through the house, draining out my thoughts and worries. I took out the bottle of Jack Daniel's I kept under my bed for occasions just like this one and my cigarettes from my back pocket. I lay on the floor of my bedroom, lit up a smoke and sang along to the songs at the top of my lungs. I needed fast, happy, upbeat music, not slow and sad. So naturally, Elvis was a good choice.

Soon my mind was running blank. Music could do that to me, like beer did to other people. It calmed me down enough to not be trembling anymore. Of course, I'm sure the cigarette and whisky helped that. The smoke filled the small, enclosed room so that even when I wasn't taking drags on the stick, I was still inhaling the fumes. It made me feel good, like my problems were gone and I could get back to my life again. I shut my eyes, letting the alcohol kick into full swing.

I heard the front door slam and voices coming from the front of the house; they were incomprehensible to my ears.

"Christ, this girl needs to get a drinking buddy," a gruff voice said.

My eyes snapped open, to the intruder standing next to me, taking in my current state. It was Dallas Winston.

"Wha're you doin' 'ere?" I mumbled, my words slurring together.

"Hey, Two-Bit! I found her." He yelled down the hall.

Two-Bit came stumbling into my bedroom; apparently he had downed a few beers tonight. He had an ear-to-ear grin slapped across his face.

"Doll face, how you been?"

"Drunk," I replied. "You?"

"Same here, baby."

I couldn't help repress a smile. I stuck my arms straight up in the air and motioned for one of them to help me stand up. Dally grabbed my hands and easily swept me off the floor. My head spun a bit from the alcohol. It made me break out in a fit of giggles. See, this is why I don't get drunk often; I act so stupidly. I mean, everyone does, but my personality changes dramatically. Two-Bit asked me if I wanted to go to a party at Buck's place tonight. I started to tell him no, Sodapop told me to stay here but decided against it. Why should I stay home when Soda was having fun beating up Jim?

"Will there be more beer?" I asked, stupidly.

"Of course," Two-Bit exclaimed, "What kind of party would it be without beer?"

"No kind of party" Dallas answered.

"Right, let's go," I ran toward the door and into Dally's car. At least I think it was his car. If not, we "borrowed" somebody else's that nigh to get us to Buck's.

The place was filled with cigarette smoke. The second we crossed the doorframe, we were hit by the strong smell of tobacco. It made me feel like I was back with my friends in Dollard, just partying and having a good time. Some skanky girl came up to Dally and started giving him shit about cheating on her. Dally denied the allegations, sweet-talked her and managed to calm her down enough to get her upstairs.

"Who was that?" I asked Two-Bit.

"Melissa. She sleeps around a lot and she thinks she's with Dally right now. She's dreamin'"

"Dally's not one to stay in a relationship a long time, huh?"

"No-siree-bob." He shook his head.

I took a big gulp of my beer. The liquid seemed to pulse energy through my veins. It felt good. I seemed to forget all about Jim and Sodapop for hours. Around one o'clock I decided it was time to go home. I looked around for Two-Bit. I found him at a table with a bunch of people, telling them a story about something or other.

"…and then he said 'She's a brunette!'" He slapped he knee and laughed along with the rest of the people. He looked up when he saw me approaching him.

"Jess…" he read my face, immediately knowing what I wanted. "Time to go. See you guys," he addressed the group he was sitting with.

He got up and walked me outside with his arm around my waist, comforting me. Dally had taken the keys to the car upstairs with him and we both knew better than to disturb him at the moment. So we walked. We didn't talk. I had never seen Two-Bit so quiet. He could sense that something was wrong with me though.

"Jess, can I ask you something?" he said.

"You just did," I responded, in my smart-ass tone.

He didn't get it. He just looked back at me, one eyebrow raised, his expression confused.

"You just- never mind. Yeah, shoot."

"Why were you getting' drunk and smokin' before, when we found you? I mean, you don't do none of that stuff and there you were, on the floor, doin' shit like me and Dally."

I was silent for a moment. Should I lie and tell him I was okay, or be truthful and let him in on what was happening. Hell, I can't lie when I'm drunk. So I decided on the truth.

"It's complicated," I started.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me down on the grass where we lay. I lit up another smoke and recited what had happened with Jim back in Dollard and yesterday afternoon, and how fucking pissed Soda got last night.

"Shoot, that Jim better keep his head. Soda's usually cool but I think he might have lost it this. He wasn't this pissed with Sandy…" he drifted off.

"Sandy? Who's Sandy?"

"He never…" Two-Bit propped himself up on his elbows looking at me, surprised. "He really didn't. Wow I'd have thought…"

"Two-Bit, who is Sandy?" I asked more threateningly. I was now sitting up, my arms extended out behind me, supporting my weight.

"Sandy was Soda's last girl. She uh… she started messin' around with some other guys and got herself knocked up. Soda had no idea she was a little tramp, and she was cheatin' on him. He wanted to marry her anyways and be a father to the kid, but her parents wouldn't hear of it. So she got sent off to Florida to live with her grandma. He tried to write her letters, but they always came back unopened. She broke his heart, that little-" he went on to call her every name under the sun.

I realized at that moment that Soda and I never did talk about our past relationships. Not that I had many. Shawn never let me date much. Once he was finished calling Sandy out, he continued.

"That's why he was so nervous about askin' you out. You see, Soda has been the best lookin' kid in this town, Socs included. When Sandy had to go to someone else to get- what she needed –he lost his confidence. We all knew he would bounce back eventually, but we didn't think it would be this long."

"How long has it been?"

He held out his fingers to count. "Nine months, I think."

Oh God, nine months ago Sandy left him because she was _pregnant_. No wonder he was in a bad mood. Poor Soda, I thought.

"He really loved her, huh?" I asked Two-Bit.

"He sure did,"

He still hadn't caught on.

"_Nine_ months ago, right?"

"Yeah"

"Do you think he's been keepin' track of those _nine_ months?" I put emphasis on the "nine".

"Probably. I know I would." He took a drag on his cigarette.

"Two-Bit, how long does it take someone being pregnant before they give birth?"

He had to get it now.

"Nine, I think."

I looked at him, my eyes encouraging him to think. Surely, even drunk he could get this eventually. His eyes widened a moment later. All he could say was "oh".

It was quiet for a while. Two-Bit obviously had never thought that Soda could count nine months of his last girlfriend's pregnancy. Inspiration for a solution to my predicament of a situation came to me in that silence.

"Does anybody know where in Florida Sandy is?"

"Orlando. Why? Jess, what's on your mind?"

"I'm taking a road trip to Orlando. And Soda's coming with me."

We got up off the cool grass and started to go run. I'm not sure where we were heading, but I knew I needed to find Sodapop. He was going to see his Sandy and her baby one time before our lives could continue. And I was going to make it happen, even if it killed me.

* * *

So, now you know where the next chapter is going right? Wrong. Next one is going to be Soda's POV of this night. It's important so be patient with me. I wan't to get it right because my capters haven't been comming out the way I want them these days.

I really hope you guys enjoyed this one. I had funwriting it even if it didn't turn out  
exactly how I wanted it. Any who, my frien is having a hard time at the moment so my updates will probably be few and far between. Sorry again.

Please R&R3


	11. Nice One, Soda

I am SO sorry that it's been SO long. I hope you're still interested with my story! I just have one thing to ask every one. REVIEW! I didn't get any reviews for chapter 10 and I was extremely disapointed. Even if you didn't like it PLEASE tell me! I want feedback. Anyways, here's your chapter 11.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders

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**Nice One, Soda**

He was sitting on a barstool talking to Sam, the bartender. I was sure it was him. I had never met Jim before so I didn't recognize him but I could hear the conversation and I was sure he had mentioned Dollard and Sam called him Jim a few times. I sat a few stools down, just listening to them talk. Jim was going on and on about how his girl had left him. I shook my head. Liar! She was no more your girl than Sandy is mine now. Don't think of Sandy, don't think of Sandy. I can't go there now. The adrenalin was pulsing through my body. The subject of Sandy always got me mad. I looked over at the clock. It was quarter to one; time to kill Jim.

I downed the rest of my beer and slammed it down on the counter. I walked over to Jim and taped him gently on the shoulder. He turned around and I could see his gray eyes. There was something about them that made me ever madder.

"Are you Jim?"

"Yeah," he paused, "Who wants to know?"

I smirked. "Sodapop."

His eyes got hard. He knew who I was and I knew who he was so there was no need for the introduction 'Hi, I'm Sodapop. You kissed my girl and now you're gonna die.' No need for any of that. So I punched the guy hard in the face. The whole bar went quiet and you could hear the _crack_ of his nose. Nice one, Soda, I told myself.

"Hey, hey! Cut that out or take it outside," Sam told us.

"Let's take a walk, Jimmy."

He looked like he could kill me. I was silently telling him to try anything. I was going to hurt him so bad he wouldn't be out of the hospital for weeks if ever. Jim took the first step towards the door and I followed suit. This bastard was going down.

The cold air was refreshing. It calmed my nerves, enough so I could see straight and quit being so jumpy. Everyone get a bit high-strung before a fight and I'm no different. Jim appeared relaxed. Undisturbed by my presence. He took a step toward me and my hand automatically flew to my back pocket, in which sat a six-inch switchblade. I was only going to use it if I really needed it, but my hand acted out of reflex.

"We gonna cuss each other out and all that jazz?" he asked, "Or should we just fight?"

"We do this the right way," my voice was steady.

He threw some pretty good insults but so did I. There was no one around to hear them but I was one who stood by tradition. Bashing your opponent was how you started a fight and this was just that. A fight.

"Is this all we're doin'?" he asked after a few retorts form both of us.

"Well I hit you inside first so it's your turn now. Try to hit me."

I was ready for him, though. I dodged his punch and got him in the back and behind the knees. He fell, and I tackled him. My head had gone blank with white-hot fury. I was clobbering the guy. He landed a few good punches but he was disoriented and drunk and I wasn't. We rolled around on the ground and cursed at each other. Once, I punched him in his stomach so hard that I winded him. He just lay there on the ground, gasping for breath. I took this as an opportunity to kick his head a few times. When I was done with him, his face was bashed up pretty bad and there was a pool of blood on the ground – some of it mine but mostly his. I knelt down next to him and whispered in his ear.

"Don't you fucking dare come back here ever again. If you do this will happen again and I might not hold back on killing you next time. The only reason you're still alive is thanks to Jessica, it was at her request that you didn't die. So what I'm trying to say here is get lost and don't find you way back. Got it?"

He nodded his head ever so slightly.

"Good." I patted his back. I stood up and found that we had acquired an audience. For the second time that night I thought Nice one, Soda. I pushed my way through the crowd of people congratulating me and patting me on the back and giving me good-natured punches to my arms. It felt good to keep up my reputation of never loosing a fight.

I hopped into Darry's car that I had 'borrowed' and sped off to get Jess. All I wanted to do was be with her right now. See her beautiful face, touch her body, smell her hair, taste her lips, hear her voice in my ear. At that moment in time I had decided I was in love with Jessy. Not like I had been with Sandy. That was a teenage thing. I know I'm only sixteen but I really love her. That night – or morning, whichever – I tried to think back to the times I had told her that. The first time had been our first date. We were lying in bed together and she was about to fall asleep, I whispered to her "Goodnight Jessy. I love you." The second had been today. Before I left, I told her I had never lost – which I still haven't – and that I loved her. Was that it? Only twice? No. I must have said it more that that. I racked my brain for another time but I couldn't remember any. I had to tell her again. Twice wasn't enough. Nothing would be enough. I could say it a million and one times but it would never be enough. But a million and was one was sure better than two.

I went back to her house. I expected to find her there. But she wasn't. Instead I found a bottle of whisky in her bedroom and a record playing on her stereo. Her jean jacket wasn't on the couch like it usually was. I called for her but she didn't answer. I left her house and went home to see Ponyboy and find out if he knew anything.

"Two-Bit and Dallas were here earlier. They said something about going to see Jess."

"Thanks Ponyboy." I ran out the door. It would be much easier to find Two-Bit or Dally in this town than it would be to find Jess. Everybody knew them and they knew just about everybody. How very wrong I was. I found Dally no problem. He was at Buck's but there was no way to talk to him. He was busy. And all the people I asked about Two-Bit told me he left not too long ago with Jess but nobody knew where they went.

I don't know how we found each other in the end. Parts of that night are a blur. But sure enough, the two of them were running across the football field when I saw them. I stopped my car and ran up to them. I caught Jess in the mid-stride and kissed her. She kissed me back. We were the only ones in the world right then. The only ones that mattered. Two-Bit broke us apart after a few minutes.

"Okay face suckers. That's enough. You'll have time to inspect the other's mouth later."

We pulled apart and smiled at each other and then a Two-Bit.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you, too."

"And I love you both," Two-Bit said, putting his arms around our shoulders, "But I'm getting kinda cold. Can we go inside?"

We all laughed and walked over to the car. I stopped at Jess' house and told Two-Bit to take the car back to Darry in one piece. We didn't even make it inside before my lips were crushing hers. We stood on the front porch, making out. I broke my lips apart from her so I could say it again.

"I love you, Jess." I told her over and over.

"Soda," she whispered, "I'm ready."

"For what?"

She looked at me with her bright blue eyes shining through her yellow bangs. I knew what she wanted and I wanted it too. I smiled.

"Are you sure, honey?"

"Yes." She was sure. Her voice was steady and her eyes were certain. There was no stopping her, now. We stepped inside the house and I carried her to her bedroom. That was our last night together.

* * *

How many time must I ask you people? REVIEW PLEASE! Even if it's one word! I don't care! And I'm not updaing untill I get reviews. I'm sure how many yet but if you want another chapter then I suggest you get reviewing!


	12. Author's Note

I was disappointed with the lack of reviews, again. And I'm pretty sure I know why. My story is unrealistic and horrid. I re-read it a few times recently and I realized it is so flawed in so many places and there is no way in H E double hockey sticks that I could write the final chapter even though I know exactly how it was going to end. Re-reading it was even a little painful.

So here's my solution: I am going to try (I say try because I don't know if it's possible) to re-write Something More and hopefully fix it and make it better. It is going to be posted under another name but I'm not sure what that is going to be yet. Keep looking for me 'cause I have no idea when I'll be posting. But before you leave, I have one favor to ask of you. Would you please point out any problems (weather it be grammatical, or to do with the time period, or anything that just didn't make sense) to me. I really want to fix it up and make a good story, but I need your help with that.

To the flamers: have fun with this one. I can't believe some of the stuff I wrote! Please feel free to bash my story. I don't mind. I'm a tough cookie ;)

Thank you for the ones who have kept with me from the beginning and those who joined in a little later. I really appreciated the positive comments.

Thank you, once again.  
Keep looking for me.  
I won't be gone for long.  
Stay gold.

-Michelle


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